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Recent Examples of whinny
J.t. Townley, The New York Review of Books, 6 Mar. 2025
This works, Brian says, and leans back against the wall, the dog panting less, the faint whinny of a horse, an airplane.
—Paul Yoon, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2024
One of the horses fell on its side, its high whinny like a human scream.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2022
Laughter punctuates the exaggerated whinnies, proving that the source is not in fact a horse.
—Kalyn Kahler, SI.com, 11 June 2018
But the methodical, meditative act of grooming a horse — brush, brush, brush — and the smell of hay and the gentle whinnies from the 1,200-pound creature have been therapy for Alger.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 17 May 2018
An astonishing collection of laughs — whinnies, giggles, squeals, snorts, heaves — gradually colors the narrative, until this seemingly harmless man becomes, in effect, not just a witness to savagery, but also an accessory.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2018
Animal grunts and growls, horse neighs and whinnies.
—Charles Desmarais, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2018
More important, the track is where Charley meets a pretty quarter horse named Lean on Pete, whose velvety brown coat and barely audible whinnies become a balm for the lonely teenager.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018
Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
That doesn’t include food for the horses, who start whinnying.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2024
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth is one of the oldest proverbs known to humankind, whinnying back at least 1,500 years.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
Kenny was large for his age, with a flat, flabby face and a high, whinnying voice.
—Aryn Kyle, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
Waffles, patient and unbothered as onlookers walked around and stopped to gaze, nickered as another horse on the other side of the massive stalls whinnied.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2024
Some unidentified whinnying joins the cacophony that accompanies gentrification—brash and brazen, with a total disregard for anything other than its own bullish desire.
—Rebecca Haithcoat, GQ, 5 June 2018
The 10-year-old mare bucked, whinnied, and galloped, sensing the pride of victory.
—Mitchell Gladstone, Philly.com, 2 June 2018
The forecast was calling for rain the next day, an element as necessary for all this — the flowering plant life, the whinnying animal life — as is the sun.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2018
Verb
Wild ponies, svelte & savage, graze in dune grasses, whinny, yawn.
—J.t. Townley, The New York Review of Books, 6 Mar. 2025
This works, Brian says, and leans back against the wall, the dog panting less, the faint whinny of a horse, an airplane.
—Paul Yoon, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2024
One of the horses fell on its side, its high whinny like a human scream.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2022
Laughter punctuates the exaggerated whinnies, proving that the source is not in fact a horse.
—Kalyn Kahler, SI.com, 11 June 2018
But the methodical, meditative act of grooming a horse — brush, brush, brush — and the smell of hay and the gentle whinnies from the 1,200-pound creature have been therapy for Alger.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 17 May 2018
An astonishing collection of laughs — whinnies, giggles, squeals, snorts, heaves — gradually colors the narrative, until this seemingly harmless man becomes, in effect, not just a witness to savagery, but also an accessory.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2018
Animal grunts and growls, horse neighs and whinnies.
—Charles Desmarais, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2018
More important, the track is where Charley meets a pretty quarter horse named Lean on Pete, whose velvety brown coat and barely audible whinnies become a balm for the lonely teenager.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018
Noun
The downy woodpecker also whinnies like a miniature horse throughout the breeding season.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025
That doesn’t include food for the horses, who start whinnying.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 22 Mar. 2024
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth is one of the oldest proverbs known to humankind, whinnying back at least 1,500 years.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 May 2024
Kenny was large for his age, with a flat, flabby face and a high, whinnying voice.
—Aryn Kyle, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
Waffles, patient and unbothered as onlookers walked around and stopped to gaze, nickered as another horse on the other side of the massive stalls whinnied.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Jan. 2024
Some unidentified whinnying joins the cacophony that accompanies gentrification—brash and brazen, with a total disregard for anything other than its own bullish desire.
—Rebecca Haithcoat, GQ, 5 June 2018
The 10-year-old mare bucked, whinnied, and galloped, sensing the pride of victory.
—Mitchell Gladstone, Philly.com, 2 June 2018
The forecast was calling for rain the next day, an element as necessary for all this — the flowering plant life, the whinnying animal life — as is the sun.
—John Kelly, Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whinny
Verb
-
Across from them in their usual stalls stood the eight neighing horses.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2025
-
The band joked about adding a neighing horse to the intro, and Rimes quickly inserted that sound from his plug-in collection.—
Tom Roland,
Billboard,
30 Jan. 2024
Noun
-
Cicadas are back at it again in 2025, already emerging in droves to announce the approach of summer with their screeches.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
30 May 2025
-
The screech of an infected is the first sign of trouble.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA TODAY,
6 Jan. 2025
-
The soldiers muttered encouragement; their horses nickered.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA TODAY,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
For extended fun, save $25 on a Regalo extra-large portable play yard or set up an outdoor Disney Minnie Mouse swing for squeals of delight.—
Chaunie Brusie,
Parents,
8 July 2025
-
Save for a few ear-piercing squeals, the day-old piglet happily took to bottle feeding and scurried around as several members of the Nashville Zoo veterinary team worked to weigh and examine him.—
Laura L. Davis,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
The jarring bleat came across cellphones in Tennessee Monday morning grabbing peoples attention.—
Liz Kellar,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
-
This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of wild animals and, at one point, a school of glowing fish.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
The animals use complex clicks, squawks and whistles to call out to each other, fight and attract a mate.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The show is thrilling as a sensory experience, humming with sinister percussive beats and the occasional muffled animal squawk in the distance.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
People should also be alert to visible natural signs of a tsunami, including a loud roar from the ocean and a sudden rise or fall of water levels.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
30 July 2025
-
Even holding serve to consolidate the break and go up 4-1 with a forehand crosscourt shot that Arango couldn’t handle led to roars.—
Lukas Weese,
New York Times,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
Bonobo dictionary Berthet started with establishing the tentative meaning of the basic calls: singular grunts or yelps.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Cutts contain a series of sharp, loud clucks interspersed with yelps.—
Adam Moore,
Outdoor Life,
10 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Whinny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whinny. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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